WHIP students visited Arlington National Cemetery last month | Courtesy Arlington National Cemetery 

Students in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program honored the sacrifices of brave American soldiers, including many from Hillsdale, on visits to Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg last month.

At Arlington, students visited the graves of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an alumna who was a code breaker during World War II, and Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who received the Purple Heart, the Navy Cross, and the Medal of Honor. 

Junior Libby Dickenson said she had been to Arlington before, but walking through the cemetery to visit Friedman’s grave helped her see it from a different perspective. 

“We walked probably 3 miles through the cemetery. The weather was wet and rainy, but it was really beautiful to make that commitment to a fellow Hillsdalian, especially one who had served our country so heroically,” Dickenson said.

Junior Meaghen McManus said the trip was moving.

“It’s important to take a moment and reflect on how many people sacrificed and died so that we can be here in this county, and Arlington National Cemetery is a really impactful reminder of that,” she said. 

WHIP students also visited Gettysburg National Cemetery on the 159th anniversary of President Abramham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg address.

“Going to Gettysburg is such a valuable experience for all Hillsdale students because during the Civil War, Hillsdale students actually fought in the battle of Gettysburg, which was one of the major battles of the war,” said Mary Greco, Hillsdale in D.C.’s undergraduate program coordinator. “We get to see our country’s history and our college’s legacy.”

Leading Civil War historian Allen Guelzo lectured on Lincoln’s address. He explained how “government of the people, by the people, for the people” encapsulates core American principles: consent of the governed, the people’s voice in government, and government’s service in the interests of the people. 

Guelzo and his wife joined the WHIP students for lunch, and Guelzo spoke to the students about the battle of Gettysburg. 

“I was able to learn more about Lincoln’s overall mentality and thought process when writing his letters and speeches,” Senior Brandon Small told the Collegian in an email. “It is fascinating how carefully he had to manage what he was saying to keep the Union together and to keep the slavery question out of the courts.”

After lunch, the students visited the monument honoring Michigan’s 4th Regiment, in which many Hillsdale students enlisted during the Civil War. Over 500 Hillsdale students fought in the war, all of them for the Union. 

“It’s just amazing to be that close to history, to actually be where the battle was,” McManus said.“It brings to mind all the important things we study at Hillsdale. Being where Hillsdale students died fighting for those values puts everything into perspective about how lucky we are and how important what we learn really is.”